Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-05-31
A LUCKY QUARTER.
A MllLlONAIRE'S IS CENT PIECE
IN A $1,000 CASE.


It Made His Fortune 1t Faro-Then It
Caused the Death Of Friend-How
It Was Lost and Found In the Wilds Of
the West.
In that part Of Fifth avenue where all the
houses are palaces there is one owned by a
millionaire from the Pacific slope who, after
amassing fortune, came to this city 70 enjoy
the luxury which great wealth put at his dis
posal Beyond the parlors, which are filed
with rare objects Of art from ell over the
world, the rich man has his study. The most
noticeable thing in the room Is . small table
which stands next TO q big rosewood desk.
| There is nothing on the table save an ex-
| quisitely carved gold case with q glass lid.
Inside tho case, resting on the soft velvet, lies
| q common everyday quarter Of q dollar A
| few days ago, while = reporter was inter
| viewing the California millionaire Ques-
I ton of western politics, he found it impossi
| Die to keep his eyes from wandering to the
$1,000 case and its twenty-five cent piece.
The millionaire, seeing the reporters evident
| curiosity, took the piece Of money from its
satin lined resting place and handing it to
| the reporter said:
you see that this coin is marked in such a
way that there is no installing II. (The let
| ters G.. W, with star before and after them,
were deeply engraved in the center Of the
| piece OF money! 1t was the first given me in
San Francisco in n saloon. l gave the bar
keeper e5 gold piece and among the change
l noticed this marked coin picked il out
| and putting it in another pocket remarked
to my friends that would keep it as pocket
piece. was as poor as poverty in those
days, but, like evory one else, played faro
every time l had money enough to buy
stack of chips That night gos round to
Jim Moons game, and as usual, before quit
/ was cleaned out and had not dollar left
il the world. The next morning when went TO
work l was told that the man who employed
me had decided to move to Sacramento
and my valuable services were no longer
needed. | had had no breakfast and began
feeling in my empty pockets for some stray
coin TO get cup Of coffee. To my intense
surprise l found that quarter. | then sat
down and argued with myself whether i
should spend my last cent to get something to
eat or IL | should go back TO the faro bank,
where had lost my money the night before,
and make final effort to pull out square.
FORTUNE Foa c5 CENTS.
~Ths gambling passion was strong in mo
forty years ego, and | decided to take the
chances and bet ny last quarter. Back 10
the gambling he'll hurried. Tho game had
just orenad, and the Grst turn of the CARTS
was just baiu.: made Dollar chips were the
smallest ones in Use then. So threw down
my quarter between tho 4, 7 and 8, and then
went over to the sideboard and poured my
self out a glass of whisky, determined to have
drink for my money anyway. When /
went back to the table found two chips in
the place Of my rs cents. l reached over To
pick them up, but befors could do so the
dealer turned the cards and again 1 won.
played without thought Of my empty stomach
for three hours, and quit with s4O0 Before
leaving l paid the dealer 81 for my marked
quarter. TEea l went out and had break
fast fit for the gois Every day for two
weeks l gambled, and every day l won
kept that coin always with me, and soon
had over Sc 900 in a canvas bag. One night,
a. l was leaving the game, met an old
woman who begged from mo money enough
to get something to eat. / had, as usual, been
winning and was flushed with success. To re-
fuse woman money for food when luck was
all running my way seemed heartloss so l
reached down in my pocket and gave her tho
first coin / met When reached home
seached everywhere for my luclepiece, but ii
was gone. 1 had given 1t to the beggar
woman. The next day lost heavily aud de-
termined to play no moro until found my
quarter II seemed O hopeless task to find
one particular piece Of money, but never
gave up hope and always looked carefully at
every piece OF money received in change.
At last was successful In the same bar
room where first got my quarter received
it again. l was so elated that treated the
house to champagne. That night, for the
last time in my life, gambled at cards and
won s. 600 I went to Nevada soon after
and began to speculate in mines and in the
course Of time made what people call bo-
nanza fortune
FATAL STROKE OF LUCK.
THE only other time that quarter ever left |
me lost tho best friend ever had Poor |
fellow he never had any luck, everything he |
touched failed, and when met him In Vir- |
ginia City two years after his arrival on the |
Pacific slope he Was in as hard luck as any |
man | ever saw. | pus him in the way of |
making some money, but everything be got |
be lost at faro. One day he heard me tell the |
story Of my quarter and asked me 70 loan it /
to him 70 see II it would change his luck; he |
promised not to part with the coin. 50 |
granted his request. He went 20 the game
and put = piece with ny quarter On II in
the pot, that l.. between tie ace, deuce, king |
AMI qlseen 10 then folded his arms and /
rested his heal On them. Turn after turn /
was made, yet he never once looked up. IS /
card after card was turned raurrTurs Of sur
prise passed aro.nd the table. The men on
each SIDE OK my friend pudged him. bat D. /
never raised hi. head The whole four cards /
won out, and when the deal was over ray /
friend hal slo, I52 piled up in the middle o.
the table. IGe dealer asked him 70 rake
down his money and let the new Il Begin
Yet he never i8oved- Some cae. thinking BE-
was drunk and bad gore 70 sleep. sbooS bin.
roughly b. The shoulder. Heavily he EEL %
the GGor Every rough Ran there was
shocked 70 find HIM dead The s.ssia had
Leen too much To- hin, aud his hart lad
stopped b@at!ES. La:e. caslez. his CHIPS
ami sent t.aerr " us mother. who died th.nl..
iaz her va Lad earned il By Lard work. I
Lad 70 pay the gambler 500 foT ny quarter,
and IL las never Isit re si3ca. New York
Alall ard Express.